Forties TV and movie hunk Robert Sterling has lost his battle with shingles and died at his Brentwood, California home. He was 88.
The ghostly star of TV's Topper was born William Hart in 1917 in Pennsylvania, the son of baseball star William S Hart.
After working briefly as a clothing salesman, Sterling made his mark as a movie star and changed his name, so as not to be confused with silent screen actor William S Hart.
He really hit his stride in 1941, when he starred in five of the year's top films, including Two-Faced Woman, in which he starred alongside Greta Garbo, and The Penalty.
He wed actress Ann Sothern in 1943 and they had a daughter, Tisha--but the marriage wasn't destined to last and Sterling divorced his first wife in 1949.
In 1951, he wed his second wife, actress Anne Jeffreys, who was with the actor when he died yesterday.
Sterling and Jeffreys had three sons and teamed up to become a TV institution in the mid 1950s as the stars of movie spin-off Topper, in which the couple played ghosts.
Sterling retired from acting in the 1970s so he could concentrate his efforts as a computer businessman. He returned to the limelight briefly in the 1980s as a guest star in TV series Hotel and Murder, She Wrote.
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Veteran actress Ann Sothern died of heart failure late Friday at the age of 92.
Sothern worked in show business for more than 70 years -- from B-movies to a television star to an Oscar-nominated performance in the 1987 The Whales of August.
Born Harriette Lake in Valley City, North Dakota, in 1909, Sothern started her career singing on stage until she was spotted by Columbia Pictures. They signed her on as a bit player in 1934, and she eventually changed her name and worked her way into lead roles in B-movies.
But her big break came when she was cast as the lead in MGM's 1939 Maisie, about a spirited showgirl and her adventures -- a part that was originally written for Jean Harlow. It became a huge success for the studio, and they went on to make nine more Maisie films, turning Sothern into a household name and creating one of MGM's most successful film series.
Displaying a true talent for playing strong, independent women, Sothern turn her sights on the small screen, creating two hit television series in the 1950s, Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show, which ran until 1961. Sothern was the first working woman to appear in a situation comedy. She was nominated for five Emmys for the two shows, which she also produced, and she won a Golden Globe.
After the TV series went off the air, Sothern went into semi-retirement, but she came back into the spotlight in 1987 when she starred in The Whales of August with Bette Davis and Lillian Gish. Sothern received her first Academy Award nomination for her performance as the cheery neighbor who must play peacemaker between the two sisters, played by Gish and Davis, who live next door to her.
Sothern, who was married twice, once to the actor-musician Roger Pryor and once to actor Robert Sterling, is survived by a daughter and sister.

Title

Toured in "The Glass Menagerie", "Gypsy" and "The Solid Gold Cadillac"

Broadway debut in chorus of Florenz Ziegfeld's "Smiles"

Returned to films to play supporting role in "The Whales of August"; received Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination

Returned to Hollywood and appeared (unbilled) in "Broadway Through a Keyhole"

First leading role on Broadway in Rodgers and Hart's "America's Sweetheart"

Had bit in early sound musical, "The Show of Shows" (as Harriet Lake)

Nomadic childhood, following mother's travels as a concert singer

Began achieving success in leading roles

Left Columbia and signed seven-year contract with RKO; acted opposite Gene Raymond in several popular comedies and musicals

Signed contract with Columbia; dyed hair from red to platinum blonde

Sought to be released from RKO contract and joined MGM in first of series of "Maisie" films

Starred on first TV series, "Private Secretary"

Left MGM; last films there, "Nancy Goes to Rio" and "Shadow on the Wall"

Provided the voice of a woman reincarnated as an automobile on the sitcom "My Mother, the Car"

Summary

Singer and comedienne Ann Sothern turned heads and amused audiences via her ability to deliver sharp dialogue with verve and comedic bite. After appearances in Broadway musicals, Sothern earned her keep in B-movies, but finally hit her stride as a contract player at MGM, where she toplined the company's popular series of "Maisie" pictures. Although Sothern eventually tired of playing the brassy Brooklyn showgirl, audiences loved her in the role, and the actress also impressed with her turn in the critically acclaimed "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949). Upon hitting her forties, Sothern found fewer motion pictures opportunities, but her popularity was reignited with the sitcoms "Private Secretary" (CBS, 1953-57) and "The Ann Sothern Show" (CBS, 1958-1961), which earned Sothern several Emmy nominations. Her movie and television work slowed down in the decade that followed and an unfortunate accident during the 1970s gave Sothern back issues that rendered her unable to act for an extended period. She did manage to step before the cameras again, but unlike many veteran performers who end their career on a depressing note, Sothern exited the business with Lindsay Anderson's widely praised "The Whales of August" (1987), which earned her a long overdue Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Widely respected by both audiences and her peers for the sharp comedic ability she displayed for years in film and on television, Sothern earned her place in both mediums and enjoyed a solid and loyal fan base right up to the end of her life.

Name

Role

Comments

Roger Pryor

Husband

maried in 1936; divorced in 1942

Robert Sterling

Husband

married in 1943; divorced in 1949; father of Tisha Sterling

Tisha Sterling

Daughter

born December 10, 1944; father Robert Sterling; survived her

Annette Yde-Lake

Mother

worked in Hollywood in early sound era as diction and vocal coach

Education

Name

University of Washington

Notes

Sothern's agents reportedly turned down an offer for the actress to play the older courtesan in "Zorba the Greek" when Simone Signoret withdrew from the project. The part went to Lila Kedrova who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

"I guess in the old days we just got by on glamor. Hollywood sold its stars on good looks and personality buildups. We weren't really actresses in the true sense. We were just big names--the products of a good publicity department". --Ann Sothern (in 1970s)